Independent MP Tony Windsor joins us from Parliament House after the first sitting day of the year and reflects on the day that was and what's to come.

Transcript

LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: The parliamentary year is already off to a rollicking start and with me now from Canberra is one of the independent MPs who keeps the Government afloat, Tony Windsor.

Tony Windsor, I want to start with your political future. There's endless speculation that you won't win your seat because of blowback you'll get for supporting the Gillard Government. So let me ask you now that the election date is set, will you contest the election on 14th September?

TONY WINDSOR, INDEPENDENT MP: Yes, I intend to contest it, Leigh, given health and all those issues and family issues of course, and I will always remember Peter Andren, who intended to contest an election and he died before the election was held. So - but given everything is OK, I'll be having a go.

LEIGH SALES: Do you think that you're getting blowback in your seat because of your support for the Gillard Government?

TONY WINDSOR: Well I haven't done any polling on that. I sense on the street that there's been a change of mood, you know, probably over the last 12 months. I think people in the electorate have seen a lot of things happening within the electorate. I think they also appreciate the role that I've played in terms of the hung Parliament, in terms of policy issues, issues like the National Broadband Network, some of the clean energy issues which are starting to resonate in the electorate and a lot of country electorates, as we speak, and I think a lot more over the next six months'll happen. The role I played with the Murray-Darling. There's a whole range of regional initiatives that I've been involved in. Most of the feedback - and I think I've had 11 people in the electorate over the two years or a bit more actually have a go at me, and that doesn't mean there's only 11 people disagree with the decision; quite obviously there's a lot more than that. But I'm comfortable with the democratic process and always have been, and as an independent, you can't hide behind the tree, and particularly in a hung parliament, you've gotta make decisions. And I don't mind that. But if people decide that they want, you know, some sort of party lackey to go to an obscure corner when he's ordered to do so, well that's fine, they're the decision-makers and I'm sure they'll make up their own minds.

LEIGH SALES: When you're out and about in the electorate, I wonder what people say to you about Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott. Because we see that the opinion polls show that people don't really approve of either of the job that they're doing. I just wonder what you hear anecdotally about why people are so unhappy with their political leaders.

TONY WINDSOR: Well a bit of what you've said and I think in a sense - and I don't mean this disrespectfully to either of them - but I think each of them have kept the other one in the game. And, you know, if Malcolm Turnbull was the leader of the Liberal Party, for instance, I think it'd be all over red rover.

LEIGH SALES: And the other way round if Kevin Rudd were leader of the Labor Party?

TONY WINDSOR: Well, perhaps. I think that's been tested a bit before. Perhaps; don't know. But to answer your question directly, I think, you know, a lot of people don't particularly have a high regard for either the Prime Minister or the Opposition Leader, and obviously that was probably the case at the last election too. And if you look at the primary votes other than the one last week, the Newspoll last week or earlier this week, the primary votes have been very similar to what they were in 2010, so it hasn't shifted all that match much.

LEIGH SALES: Well, you're pretty connected at Parliament House. Do you think that Labor MPs are reconsidering the leadership of the Labor Party?

TONY WINDSOR: Well, if they are, no-one's telling me and neither should they. I don't know the answer to that and I'm not going to waste my time getting involved in it too much. They'll make they're decisions. The major parties always do. I don't think they'd take any notice of me if I stuck my oar in anyway and neither should they.

LEIGH SALES: Would you continue to support Labor if Kevin Rudd did resume the leadership?

TONY WINDSOR: Well you'd have to look at that if it actually happened. I think in all honesty though, if that happened and the stability of the arrangements started, then a change of leadership'd probably mean an election earlier rather than later. I don't think - well, no-one can guarantee the September 14th date anyway; that's a preferred option in a sense. Those things can change quite dramatically and if there's a change of leader, that would probably change again. So, they're all the things that are in the melting pot. But in a hung parliament, you can't rule anything out. That's the very nature of them; they're very finely tuned, and if someone dies or leaves the building, the whole numbers game changes.

LEIGH SALES: Both parties have announced policies without explaining how they'll be paid for. When do you think is the right time to release their costings?

TONY WINDSOR: Well when the right time and when they'll do it. They'll probably do it after the writs are issued. I think that's the reality of it. So in probably August we'll start to see the hustle and bustle in terms of your figures are right, mine are wrong and all of that will occur. And in a sense I'd prefer that to be the case. As a member of Parliament, I don't want to spend the next seven or eight - well, the next six months arguing about the election. We've got six months of this current parliament to go. And I think major parties always make this mistake, and in a hung parliament I think the Prime Minister and others should be well aware of this, that they've got six months to do a lotta hard work. There's a lot of big issues before the Parliament and things we need to do. So, why waste time - this is my view anyway - arguing about a parliament that you may or may not be in when you've got one that's an active agent at the moment. So my view is: get on with the work, and if you do the work and do the job effectively and things start to happen in your electorate and the broader scene, the broader electorates will look at you favourably or unfavourably depending on your work and what you've done. So, that's how I've worked in the past and that's how I intend to work for at least the next six months.

LEIGH SALES: Just one final question: the Labor MP Craig Thomson today says that he thinks it's possible that Labor would preselect him again for the seat of Dobell. Do you think that would be appropriate?

TONY WINDSOR: Well, it's none of my business. It's their business and I don't live in Dobell - sorry?

LEIGH SALES: Is he a fit person to be an MP?

TONY WINDSOR: Well he hasn't been convicted of anything. There's allegations and I've always, whether it be, you know, the fellow, Ashby, or in this case Craig Thomson, everybody, irrespective of their political views, is entitled to due process and Craig Thomson's no different to that. I think it's appalling that we should try and judge people before the appropriate processes. I have no legal training. He's an appropriate person until he's found not to be. And rumour and innuendo, whether it be true or not in the long run - and that'll be proven one way or the other. You can't just suddenly evict people on the basis of those sorts of issues. The courts are there to do that, I'm not, and neither is anybody else in this building.

LEIGH SALES: Tony Windsor, I'm sure we'll talk to you again in this election year. Thankyou very much.